Joe Milton passing the torch, preparing for the NFL

The Tennessee Volunteers had a significant change at quarterback ahead of their New Year’s Day Cheez-it Citrus Bowl matchup against the Big Ten’s Iowa Hawkeyes. It was recently reported that the Volunteers’ starting quarterback, Joe Milton, would not play in the bowl matchup after declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft and will begin preparing for the event, which takes place in April.

To help make sense of what is going on with the Volunteers’ quarterback situation, On3’s Andy Staples brought in VolQuest’s Austin Price. The two went over a range of topics on the matter, with Price providing some insight about Milton’s NFL outlook and whether or not this is a passing-the-torch situation as highly recruited freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava takes over the program’s reins.

“That’s what it is; it’s absolutely a passing of the torch situation,” said Price. “He’s been around all through bowl practice in Knoxville; he came home for Christmas here to the Orlando area, made to drive over to the team hotel, been involved in meetings all on Tuesday night and Wednesday, he’ll be a part of practice all week long, but he will not suit up or play in this football game.

“For Joe, it’s a chance to turn the page to the Senior Bowl. He got an invite to that a few weeks back and [can] start to prepare and then prepare for the NFL draft and the combine. Because Joe, if we know anything about him, he’s going to show well in that type of an event. He’s got that ridiculous, runs really well once he gets a full head of steam, and I just think he’s gonna test out the Ying Yang at this thing and be somebody that some team goes, ‘I just see us taking a chance and molding him into what he can be.”

Staples followed up on Price’s statement by revealing that according to Jim Nagy, who runs the senior bowl, there is a ton of curiosity surrounding Milton as an NFL prospect. There were plenty of individuals who are intrigued by the physical gifts he possesses and were hoping to get a glimpse of them during Tennessee’s 2023 pro day when star quarterback Hendon Hooker was unable to throw for the event. However, according to Price, there was a valid reason why Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel did not want Milton to throw.

They wanted to see him throw at last year’s pro day when Hooker couldn’t. They begged for Joe to throw to Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman, and Tennessee didn’t let that happen… because Heupel knew if Joe threw at the pro day, it was going to be all about Joe instead of all about Hyatt, Tillman, Byron Young, Darnell Wright, and the others that went through it.

It is no secret: Milton has a cannon for an arm and is one of the more athletic quarterbacks in college football with the size to match. And that blend of talent and physical stature played a significant role in a fellow SEC quarterback, Florida Gators’ Anthony Richardson, catapulting into the top five of the 2023 NFL Draft. But, will it work the same for Milton? That part remains to be seen. However, given all the buzz surrounding the Tennessee quarterback, should he impress at the Senior Bowl, NFL Combine, and the Volunteers’ Pro Day, he could very well see himself shooting up draft boards and possibly becoming a day one or day two selection.

A lot can be said about Milton’s time at Tennessee following his transfer from Michigan in the 2021 offseason. And therein lies another question Staples required an answer to: what will be the legacy of Milton? More precisely, how will he be remembered by fans of the program?

“I think they’re gonna see Joe as a good teammate; they’re gonna see him as a guy who is extremely talented. [He] Missed on a few things but is someone who loved Tennessee, put Tennessee first. They’ll look back at him finally. Nobody is upset with Joe Milton at Tennessee, from a fan’s perspective,” said Price.

“Joe was a consummate pro, a teammate through and through, and in a day and age where people look to leave and stuff like that, he just put his head down and kind of went to work and got better… Joe did everything he could for Tennessee with a big smile on his face and did everything the right way.”